The Beginning of the End...

THE BEGINNING OF THE END
April 18th

We’ve been on the ship for almost 9 days straight. It’s been a long time and pretty stressful. This is the crunch time, the end of the semester when all the papers and projects are due, the tests and quizzes are being crammed in and preparations for finals begin.

Being on the ship again for a long time has given us a chance to hang out with all our friends again all together. I’ve been hanging out with my friends more and more late into the night having deep conversations, watching movies, wandering the ship, talking about countries, going up to the pool bar and piano bar to get snacks and such. We only have about three weeks left on the ship and not even that. This thing is coming to an end very shortly and its so sad to think about. I’m not ready for all this to end. It just can’t end. I’ve had the best times of my life hear and met the most incredible people on this trip and I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave them and I don’t want them to leave me. We need each other. Were going to realize that more when we go home, were going to have to keep in touch otherwise were going to be lost and really lonely because noone at home knows where we’ve been, what we’ve done, knows anything really about it and its impossible to try and explain to them and have them really care or really get it. We have to be here for each other while we are here, and have to be there when we can’t be together.





“THE PERSIANS” and THE TALENT SHOW
April 15-17th


The play opened this past week and it was a success. I can’t believe it was over. We had been doing that since the very beginning and now it was over.
The talent show was the night after as well and that was such a great night. There are so many talented people on this ship who can dance and sing and write music, they amaze me and I love what they do. I downloaded my friends music to my computer, they are so good. I sang with the A Capella group that I helped to form with some other friends. We sang a song that we had been working on since the very beginning and performed it for the first time at the talent show and everybody loved it! It was so nice to be in a real A Capella group, not just where a choir sings a song a capella but they actually do it the right way, where the singers take the place of the instruments sounds and parts. We were awesome and it was so much fun!



WELCOME BACK THE CELL PHONE…or don’t…
April 18th, 2009

My phone got turned back on today and I have been getting calls and texts from people but I am unable to respond just yet because I’m still roaming until I get to Hawaii. I tried to remember how to text and stuff and I’m really bad at it. I couldn’t remember how to get to my phone settings and take pictures. I forgot how to use a cell phone. I thought about this, as I lay in bed this morning unable to fall back asleep after it rang for the first time. At first, I didn’t know what it was; I forgot what my ringtones were ha. Anyways, I thought about it and I realized that I have really enjoyed not having my phone with me these past three months and how nice it has been. Yes there have been times that were inconvenient but for the most part it has been great to be cut off. It’s nice here too because no one has there phone. Some people do, and they’d be on field trips with their little blackberries texting friends back home and it was ridiculous and they would get stared at. I feel awkward carrying it around in front of people here because its like you’re looked down upon to have your cell phone here because you honestly don’t need it. Now though, coming into Hawaii a lot of our phones are getting turned back on. But I’ve really enjoyed hanging out with my friends here and not texting them or calling them but just talking to them in person. Of course I’ll text them when I’m back home but it has been nice here, were forced to go out and talk to people because we don’t have or electronics, and we are the electronic generation. I’ve realized something, which I have always known, but I have really cherished spending time with my friends and eating meals with them and not have them text other people while we are hanging out. My friends back at home do that and it really bothers me and I find it very rude. But here when you’re with someone and hanging out, you have everyone’s full attention and they are just as happy to spend time with you and be with you.
This experience will NEVER be replaced.




















THE GREEN LIGHT and THE DOUBLE RAINBOW

The other night we went through a storm, and it broke just as the sun was setting and we were able to view the most beautiful sunset. Because the sun came out while there was still water droplets in the clouds there shone this HUGE double rainbow that curved right over the ship! It was gorgeous! Everybody was outside taking pictures and sitting out on the deck just staring into the sunset. It was really cool too because we all got to see the green light!! That was SWEET!! The green light that shines when the sun sets on the ocean’s horizon! It was beautiful, I’d never seen it before, I’d only heard of it. But now I’ve seen it.

It was really special to be out there with everyone, with all my friends and just stand there at the back of the ship staring into the sunset with one another. It was something really special that I will never forget. So many nights I have experienced like that, and I know I’ll be sitting at home when the sun is setting or on any day and wonder where the M.V. Explorer is now and what everyone is doing, what the sky looks like etc. It will always be in my thoughts as well as everyone I met, and I’ll always miss them, and I’ll always miss being with them on this ship. I hope to do it again someday. I miss it already.